March 23, 2006
as seen in "The Dinner Diva" syndicated column
by Leanne Ely

Spring has sprung here in North Carolina. The red buds are budding, the Bradford pear trees are blooming, and it's going to be 74 degrees here in Charlotte!

I adore the spring.

On Tuesday, my latest book, "Saving Dinner Basics," went off to the publisher. It will be published this summer, and I'm very happy with the way it turned out. The deal is though, when I am in the last weeks of getting a book done, my house suffers. It looks OK from the outside, but the insides are a mess. Open the door to my pantry and you'll see what I mean. I am going to have to set my timer for 15 minutes more than once to get it straightened out.

How's your pantry looking? Do you have five cans of tuna scattered about the cupboard instead of all stacked up together. Can you find cereal boxes here, there and everywhere? How about your staples, like flour, sugar, baking powder, cornstarch, etc.? Are they grouped together into a baking center or do you have to go on a pantry scavenger hunt to find them all?

Let's do a little pantry perk-up, shall we? Set your timer for 15 minutes and start getting your dry goods in logical order. Like goes with like. You'll want a shelf for the canned goods (and put the same thing all together, too). You need a big basket to hold your bags of dried beans, a smaller basket to hold envelopes of spice blends, mixes, etc. (Look around the house, I bet you have what you need), and if you haven't done it already, big containers (I like big glass jars) for your flour, sugars, oatmeal, etc.

Getting your pantry together will help you get your meal planning in order, too. Don't forget to do a 27-fling boogie on your pantry if necessary. Get rid of the stuff you don't use (donate it to a food bank if it's good, usable food) and watch your pantry "spring" to new life, blossoming with all sorts of possibilities!

Here's a wonderful spring dinner recipe to get you in the mood for a good pantry routing:

Chicken Nicoise